3 Dec 2021 Community

Georgina Haigh and her light up a life story

Georgina Haigh from Holmfirth has attended our Light Up A Life event every year with her mum Silvia since her dad Steven died in 2006.  

Our Light Up A Life events take place this weekend, and Georgina is once again looking forward to the chance to remember her father, Steven, as she attends a ceremony in The Kirkwood gardens.  

For Georgina, Light Up A Life days are really special. 

“I have done Light up a Life for a number of years. My mum started doing it in memory of my dad and then I joined her. They are really good services, and it is a brilliant tribute to those people we are remembering on the day.” 

Last year Light up a Life ceremony took place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite social distancing and restrictions, The Kirkwood worked hard to make sure our community could come together, as one, live streaming the service on YouTube. Georgina believes that people really appreciated how much effort The Kirkwood went to to keep the event running, even under such difficult circumstances.  

She said: “I think we would really miss Light up a Life if it didn’t take place. I know so many people that rely on it every year to have that chance to remember someone in a special occasion that takes place at the site in Dalton which means so much to all of us.  

“With Covid-19 coming around I thought The Kirkwood did a great job in still making the event accessible for people in their homes, I know lots of people who watched the live stream. 

“What is also nice is that there is a wide variety of people that attend the services, and they are all remembering someone who has died that was close to them. It’s great to see so many of The Kirkwood team attending the events too and the fact they have a band too is amazing.” 

Georgina’s family found The Kirkwood supportive in the days, weeks and months following her father’s death. She believes this support has had a long-lasting effect on her mother, who made friends from the support group she attended.  

Georgina explained: “My dad didn’t die of cancer but a sudden heart attack. When he did die someone took my mum along to a support group and they were really great. My mum then met various people there that had gone through a similar experience in losing their partners and she found it a great comfort that she could speak to them.  

“The Kirkwood also put a councillor in place for my sister because she really struggled with the death of our dad. It was a great shock to all of us, but my sister found it very hard and the care she was given by The Kirkwood was just outstanding.   

“We have supported The Kirkwood ever since my dad died because they supported my mum so brilliantly. My mum met someone at her support group who had also lost someone, and they became great friends and then from there, this person’s daughter and me became good friends too.” 

Georgina has supported The Kirkwood in lots of ways over the years, and believes The Kirkwood’s services are really important for people across Kirklees.  

“I think it’s such a vital service that people rely upon, especially for those people that can no longer care for themselves. However, The Kirkwood is much more than that and provides a lot of different services that hundreds of people find important and need.”